Shalom Baer Gee/MDN From left: Brynn Hanson, Jacey Hutton, Kevin Harmon, vice president of Student Affairs at Minot State, Kaden Hicks, and Josh Frazier. Hanson, Hutton, Hicks, and Frazier make up the United Team at Des Lacs-Burlington. They won best team in the county at the practice MATHCOUNTS event on Wednesday. Their coach is Kay Quam.

An unofficial Ward County MATHCOUNTS competition was held at Minot State University on Wednesday afternoon.

MATHCOUNTS is a non-profit organization that facilitates a competition series that includes students from all 50 states. After being held off for the last two years due to the pandemic, the official competition will take place on Feb. 17 virtually.

However, before she was informed of the change to a virtual competition, Jodi Johnson, Ward County Superintendent of Schools, bought trophies and materials for the competition in anticipation of being held in person.

She decided to still hold an in-person practice event this week, complete with the trophies.

Seventh and eighth graders from Jill Hill Middle School, Des Lacs-Burlington, Memorial Middle School, Lewis and Clark-Berthold, and Our Redeemer’s Christian School participated in the event. The students competed in written tests at the beginning of the day.

Those results determined the top three individuals from the city: Leif Allen, Jameson Eaton, and Levi Vitko, all of Jim Hill Middle School; the top three students from the county: Josh Frazier (Des Lacs-Burlington), Meredith Moore (Our Redeemers), and Kaden Hicks (Des Lacs-Burlington); the top teams from the city: Jim Hill and Memorial; the top three teams from the county, the United Team from Des Lacs-Burlington, Our Redeemers, and Lewis and Clark-Berthold; and the top students from the city and county combined: Leif Allen (Jim Hill), Jameson Eaton (Jim Hill), Josh Frazier (Des Lacs-Burlington), Kaden Hicks (Des Lacs-Burlington), Meredith Moore (Our Redeemers), and Collin Swenson (Our Redeemers).

In the afternoon, students were each presented with metals, and the winning teams received trophies. The top students then faced off against each other in count down rounds until one student ultimately won. Leif Allen came out as the best of the day.

The students gathered to not only compare their skills with each other, but to also do something they enjoy.

Judah Allan, a seventh grader from Des Lacs-Burlington, said he appreciates the usefulness of math.

“It’s fun. You’ll use it in real life, like it’s good class for actually learning things that you’re going to use,” Allan said. “I like it more when you’re competing ’cause then you’re going for something, which is also more like real life, which I just really like doing that.”

His classmate, Michael Mai, said that he appreciates math because it gives him the ability to utilize his talents.

“I’m actually decent at it. I can do it,” Mai said.

Kaden Hicks, who was on the top county team at the event, said that he likes “pretty much everything” about math, but his favorite is long multiplication and long division.

“I like that you have a chance to show your skills in math compared to other people from other schools so you can see how other schools are doing stuff too,” Hicks said about the event.

The Minot Daily News asked the students how they feel about the competition being held virtually rather than online. Hicks said that he’s okay with it, as long as he gets to compete.

“I still like it because it’s still the competition, but I’d prefer it to be in person, but I’m fine with it being online,” he said.

Mai echoed that sentiment.

“I don’t really care, just because I still get to do math.”

Johnson said the event was overall a success, and expressed that she was grateful area teachers took the time to bring their students.

“I saw the excitement in the kids’ faces, and I saw them working hard,” Johnson said. “I think it’s better in person, and I’m glad that they took the time to do it.”